Pickwick House + Re-purposed Stuff

It's a good thing my air conditioner is working today!  It was on the blink last week, here at the shop.

So question of the day...What to do when it's this hot out?  DECORATE.  I love decorating the house and bikes for the fourth, don't you?   Here at the shop, I'm loving a few new set-ups we've done.  We didn't go overboard with red white and blue, but we do have a few corners devoted to Old Glory.

Here are a few snapshots.  Kendra took some better photos from the soiree that I'll share with you later.  By the way, it was great to see new faces at the shop.  I had people from Branson and Joplin come for the event.  So sweet!!

Here's a little update we've got going today for all you locals to see what you can come in and purchase today to make your gatherings have a little glittering effect.

Old Dress Form 

Summertime, and the livin is EASY

Pickwick House Vignette for the 4th...the frame sold right after I set it up.

My daughter, Eleanor, at the store today trying on a beautiful feathered Elsie head-dress.

Okay, now a little A.D.D. action-dillioni:  I'll skip now to a current project where I was trying to configure some kind of cool light fixture to fit inside some 4foot barrel burlap shades I designed for Boca Mocha. As you know, Boca Mocha , the restaurant I've been talkin about, opened yesterday.  There are a couple big things that we weren't able to install... but for the most part, it's done!!!  {And, I am WORN out.}

As of last Saturday, it was getting down to the wire before opening, and I still had no idea what fixtures to put in.  I even dreamed one night, that a vendor who calls me regularly with his cool finds, called me to tell me he had six oversized disco balls to hang inside the six barrel shades I had.  In my dream, it seemed to be a perfect juxtaposition to the burlap...a little glitz to balance the rustic burlap.  Weird, I tell you.  Not really the look we're going for, but in my dreams, I was overjoyed with excitement to have fewer questions in my head on the almost-to-deadline project {5 days from opening}.

 Back to the project... the image above is a retro bowl-shaped shade intended for lighting.  Backing up a bit to the dream I had....The very next morning after, I happened to see that very vendor the next morning at a yard sale, and told him what I had dreamt of the night before...that he found JUST the right thing for me.  Well, a few hours later in that day, the vendor called to tell me he found eight of them for the barrel shades.  {So sweet to have good resources and good people to help me}.  

Anyway, with these bowl shaped "boca-bocas", I thought they might just be the thing to give off a good, industrial-like looking bulb from below.  The idea was good, but the dome was too small and did nothing to light the huge shade.  Also, I should tell you that the shades were first and originally made to be 4 x 4 feet.  TOO BIG and almost hilariously so. Here's an image of what one looked like before I had it cut down to be two feet tall.  This big thing looked to be more like a private changing booth you'd see on the beach or something..

In the process of design, plans ALWAYS change.  Here is an image of another design possibility that I had floating in my head.  A pretty chandelier peaking out from under the burlap.

So, here's the final product. No big, industrial bulb, no chandelier, no cheesy-I-detest-last-minute-when-all-else-fails-lowes-purchased light.  Just a big, beautifully lit shade, underlit with a simple, simple THIS below.

I found these enamel pendants when I was driving to the country to do a wedding.  A junk shop had them sitting out front for sale.

So, what do you think of the end result?  I think it's contemporary, organic, and HOT all at the same time.  The green drapes are happy too, huh?  All the words we used to describe the place in the initial planning stages.

So, where'd the bowl shaped boca-bocas go???  Well, they are siting on a table at the shop serving a very different purpose.  Elegant Place Setting Domes.  Do you like them?  I tied knots of silk thru the holes at the top.  I have eight of them for sale and I think they are just the perfect thing for a crab leg boil, or shrimp and grits meal for a Fourth of July Picnic, eh???  What do you think?  Would you use them for your dinner party?  Yay or Nay?

I hope you're all having a good weekend.

I hope to have sweet family time and love under fireworks.

xoxo
sharon